Overhead garage door operator



H. H. HALL OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR Sept. 30, 1952 2 SHEETSSHEET l v Filed Aug. 19, 1948 TTGENEY Sept. 30, 1952 H. H. HALL OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Aug. 19, 1948 INVENTOR. /7 9/Fl/E Y/i fie; A BY Ange/WY Patented Sept. 30, 1952 OFFICE OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR Harvey H. Hall, Denver, Colo. Application August 19, 1948, Serial No. 45,194-

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in overhead garage doors. The use of garage doors of the type generally referred to as overhead doors is quite common and is increasing.

There are many different constructions of operating mechanism for such doors, someoi which are designed for manual operation and others for operation by means of electric motors.

.It is the object of, this invention. to produce an operating mechanism for overhead garage doors that shall be of extremely simple construction and which can therefore be manufactured without the use of expensive tools.

Another object of the invention is to produce an overhead door mechanism that will not require springs to counterbalance the door.

A further object of the invention is to produce an overhead door operating mechanism of such construction that it does not require tracks along the door frame or underneath the ceiling.

A further object of the invention is to produce a door operating mechanism of such construction that it can be readily applied to any existing doors so that double doors of the usual hinged construction can be used for overhead doors and the change effected at a small cost of labor.

A further object of the invention is to produce the operating'mechanism isput into operation for the purpose of opening the door.

The above and any other objects that may become apparentas the description proceeds are attained by means of a construction and an arrangement of parts that will now be described in detail and for this purpose reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which the invention has been illustrated in its preferred form, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a garage door locking from the inside, portions of the garage wall having been indicated by cross hatched 1ines;.

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2, Figure 1, and shows the door in closed position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view similar to that shown in Figure 2, but shows the door in open position;

, 2 I Figure 3a is a diagrammatic view of a somewhat smaller scale showing a portion of the door operating mechanism in the position it occupies when the dooris fully open;-

Figure 4 is a section taken on line Ai-fi., Figure 1; v

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5, Figure 1;. l

1 Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation shov ing the door lock; and

Figure 7 is a plan View of the electrically operated winch employed for opening and closing the door and shows the limit switch mechanism associated therewith.

In the drawing reference numeral It designates the vertical members of the door frame and reference numeral H the lintel. The door frame is surrounded by the walls of the garage which have been indicated by reference numeral [2. The door may be of any suitable construction. In the embodiment shown the door has been illustrated as made from tongue and grooved boards l3 positioned in a frame M. The

door is of the proper size to fit the opening and intermediate its ends, the elongated space between the bar and the door frame has been designated by reference numeral I'i'in Figure 2,

,A link I8 has its upper end connected with bracket l9 by means of a pivot, 20. The lower end of link I8 has been shown as provided with an elongated opening 2| which is not always necessary, but which may be present, if desired. Secured tothe door near each edge thereof is a. bracket 22 having a'pivot 23 that extends through the elongated opening 2|. Attached to the door at adistance below bracket 22 that is substantially equal to the length of link It, is a laterally projecting bracket 24 having a spacer, also a trunnion 25 on which is mounted a roller 26. The roller projects beyond'the edge of the door and is positioned in space I! between the guide bar l5 and the outer surface of the door frame. At the lower end of the guide bar l5 where the latter turns inwardly at right angles as shown in Figure 5, there is an, adjusting screw 21 that is held in place by means of a lock nut 28; The upper end of screw 21 serves as an abutment for rollers 26. This screw serves as means for adjusting the door vertically and for aligning it with the door frame. When the door is closed roller 26 rests on the upper end of adjusting screw 21. An eye bolt 28 extends through the door and through the bracket 24, serving to hold the latter in place. A cable 30 has its lower end connected with the eye bolt as shown in Figure 2. It is to be understood that since the mechanismson opposite edges of the door are alike, only a single one is described.

Referring now to Figure 1, it will be observed that a pulley 3| is connected to the garage wall.

directly above each vertical edge of the door and that a steel cable 30 passes around each pulley and passes from thence to the winch mechanism 32 that has been shown to a somewhat largersoale in Figure 7. The winch mechanismconsists of a shaft 33 mounted for rotation in bearings 34 and 35. This shaft is provided with a worm gear 36 that is operatively engaged by a worm 31 secured to the drive-shaft of an electric motor 38. When the motor rotates shaft 33 willbe rotated in its bearings. A. double drum having three spaced flanges 39. is. secured to' the shaft. The endsof the two cablesare secured each to one drum and therefore when the shaft and drum turn the cablesare wound onto or unwound'from the drums. When the door is closed and the motor is started; the drums are-rotated in such a direction that the cables are wound thereon, thereby lifting the door, whiclrbegins to move in an upward direction. The cables are=so arranged thatwhen' they are first tensionedi' they produce an inward force tending to tilt the door inwardly. This may be accomplished. in. many different ways, but in Figure 2, thecables have been shown as passing downwardly between thedoor and the frame and have their lower ends connected with eye bolts 29 and therefore whenever the cables are tensioned the door will be subjected to a torque, which moves its top inwardly to avoid hitting the lintel. After the door'has been tilted sufiicientlyto pass the lintel', it will move upwardwardly. Rollers 26 guide the doorv in its upward movement and since'the eye of bolt 29-is on the outside of the door while roller 26 is on the inside, a torque force. is produced that tends to tilt the door in a. counterclockwise direction when viewed as in Figure2l When the door tilts inwardly, pivot 23'moves inwardly in a corresponding manner andlink l8 moves outwardly. When the door reaches a horizontal position like that shown in Figure-3a.. an'd'in. Figure Bit is held.

from tilting about pivot 25'=by theiactionof'link Hi. In Figure 2 link lflihas been shown asp'ro vided with an elongated opening. 2'! for the pivot 23. moves to' a' point abovezpivot 23; In Figure 3a a construction hasbeen. shownin which pivots 23 and 25 are at-the same elevation. The link H,

which has been indicated by' dotted lines in Figure 3a, merely designates a link joining pivots 23 and 25'andit will be observed that'when the construction is such thatlink 4| is horizontal, the elongated opening 2| is unnecessary. It is, of

course, understood that-pivot120 shown in Figure ed portion. This nut carries twoarms 43 and 44 that are connected to the operating'lever 45 of a This is only necessary when the pivot: 25

, to whichthe motor 38;.iss bolted. 'The two-way .4 two-way switch by means of links 46 that have a lost motion connection with the arms. The switch and its operating mechanism is so proportioned and designed that after the motor has turned for a certain length of time in one direction, the switch will operate to stop th motor and to change the connections so that when the current is again established, the motor will turn in the opposite direction. Since the arrangementof limit switches of. thetwo-way type for reversing connections to a.motor and the circuit connected therewith, are old and well known in similar apparatus, the circuit connections and the switch construction has not been illustrated asiit. forms no: partof this invention. However, it

rent to the motor, there are at least two switches,

one located preferably on the outside of the returned toclosed .positicn,.the motoris-energized to turn in theiopposite. direction,v thereby allowing thev doortitomnwindthe :ca'bleafrom the: winch drums. The: weight; of; the doortiis effective. for

such unwinding. andas it." passes.v downwardly, the" upper end..thereof. is: moved outwardly by the action. ofthe link. I.

Attention is'calledrto thergreatsimplicity'of the operating. mechanism. Thexguides I 5 may bed-lat. pieces of steel'baror: round barsias;above men-- tioned. The; two'guides; l5 are; identical. in. size;

and shape andthezsamecis. true; with links 18. The; brackets; 22 arexalso identical; and can be made with asingle; die;. if: constructed. in that:

manner. Brackets: 2.4;..witlr. their; rollers. 26; are also .of identicalconstructiomand .arezvery simple.

The. hoisting .mechanismsshown in Figurei'l. is also very simple, constituting; as;-it does,. a..plat'e' 4'! switch' can. be purchased .on the; open market. and

thisis; also;true:of;the;worm:gear andi worm. The

winchdrums are ofrvery simpleconstruction and can be. cast.

It is apparent; fromithe above that: this. door:

opening: mechanism is of. such.:simple: construction and of such. design thatlits" manufacture requires. practically; nor-special. tools. and the few partsand'the, great. simplicity of the parts makes it possiblev to: manufacture: this. door: opening mechanism at a comparatively low cost.

Although thedoonha's been shown as controlled by means ofla.motor;.ittis,-' of course;.quite obvious that it may bezmanually'opened' and closed, in which casemeans. fonmanuaL operation. is' substituted for:the:motor;for;the.- purpose ofitensioning. thecables: to raise the door:

The door; is: provided.with an automatically operable lock whichthasabeentshown:in: Figure 6. This lock-z consists :of. a; plate 43: having upturned ends .d9rthatrarer perforated for the reception; of bolt 50. Aspring 51 urges the; bolt downwardly. A. bent. lever is pivoted at 5:1? andihas an. arm 52 connected: with; the upper. end ofrth'ebolt. The

, part of the lever 'on..the;ri'ghthand side of the in a clockwise direction and raising the bolt to a point above the door. After the door has opened, the enlargement 54 slides over the angle portion of the lever. When the door is closin the enlargement engages the bent portion of the lever from the other side raising the bolt so as to permit the door to close and after the door has closed, the enlargement passes to the other side, permitting the bolt to descend into locking position.

In the above description pulleys 3| have been shown and described as secured to the garage wall. It is obvious that they may be attached to suitable base plates and that the plates may be attached to the upper ends of the guides.

A suitable band brake B- may be applied to the motor shaft to bring the motor to a sudden stop when the current is disconnected from it.

What is claimed as new is:

1. An overhead garage door mechanism for use with a door positioned in a door opening having a frame comprising two vertical frame members and a lintel, a vertical guide attached to each vertical frame member, a guide follower on each vertical edge of the door positioned substantially midway between the top and the bottom thereof in longitudinally freely movable engagement with the guide throughout the length thereof, a pulley positioned above the door opening adjacent each vertical edge of the door, a door lifting cable passing over each pulley and downwardly, the lower ends of the cables being attached to the door at a point positioned in outwardly spaced relation to the guide followers, winch means for winding thereon the other ends of the cables to tension them and produce a torque acting to move the upper end of the door inwardly to clear the lintel and the lower end outwardly and thereafter move the door upwardly, and means for controlling the inward tilting movement of the door as it moves upwardly, comprising links pivoted at their upper ends to the door frame, adjacent the lintel, the free ends of the links having a pivotal connection with the door at a point substantially one-half of the distance from the link pivot to the guide followers.

2. An operating mechanism for doors of the overhead type, positioned and in a frame having spaced vertical sides and a lintel, a guide member positioned on the inside of each vertical side frame member, said guides extending from a point near the lintel downwardly to a point substantially half the distance to the bottom of the door, the door having a guide follower on each vertical edge in freely sliding engagement with the guides throughout the length thereof, said followers forming trunnions about which the door may pivot, links pivoted at their upper ends to the door frame, their free ends being pivotally connected with the door at a point positioned above the guide followers a distance substantially equal to the length of the links, cable anchors on the outside of the door substantially at the level of the guide followers, hoisting cables having their lower ends attached to the anchors, pulleys positioned above the door adjacent each vertical edge thereof, said cables passing about the pulleys, and a power operated winch drum positioned on the lintel, the ends of the cables being attached to the drum, whereby when the winch is operated to tension the cables the force applied to the anchors will produce a torque tending to move the upper end of the door inwardly and whereby as the cables are wound upon the winch drum the door will move upwardly pivoting about the guide followers, the extent of inward tilting being controlled by said links.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which means is provided for automatically latching the door in closed position after it has been closed and for unlatching the same when the mechanism is put into operation to open the door, said last named means being operated in response to movement of one of the cables and disposed on the lintel for preventing and permitting inward tilting of the upper edge of the door.

4. A device in accordance with claim 2 in which a latching device is provided adjacent the upper edge of the door which is operated by movement of the cables in a direction to close the door, for latching the same to the lintel and by movement of the cables in a direction to open the door for releasing said latch.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the pivotal connection of the free ends of said links includes slots extending longitudinally thereof.

6. A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the pivotal connection of the free ends of said links includes slots extending longitudinally thereof.

HARVEY .H. HALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 688,750 Stake Dec. 10, 1901 1,453,550 Fogal May 1, 1923 1,528,298 Manifold Mar. 3, 1925 2,071,161 Cornell et al. Feb. 16, 1937 2,097,950 Johnson Nov. 2, 1937 2,277,932 Mowers et al Mar. 31, 1942 2,315,571 Wilder Apr. 6, 1943 2,440,561 Wilder Apr. 27, 1948 

